The decision to offer solutions and services as on premise vs. cloud-based is a vital one for today’s software vendors and so The MIT Enterprise Forum of Connecticut will be hosting a panel discussion entitled “ECommerce Revolution: Developing and Delivering Software-as-a-Service,” on May 31, in New Haven CT.

Manish Chowdhary, GoECart CEO and Founder, is enthusiastic about the benefits offered by cloud-based SaaS (software-as-a-service) omni-channel ecommerce platforms, particularly when used by SMB and start-up entrepreneurs. Chowdhary has been asked to share his unique insights garnered while growing GoECart into the SaaS space. In his presentation, Chowdhary will talk about his experience building an immersive online experience that works for a wide range of clients, whether they are completely web-based retailers or brick-and-mortar stores that are expanding into omni-channel selling.

He will be part of a distinguished panel, along with Paul Gulbin, Managing Director, CohnReznick Advisory, and moderated by Richard Harris, Esq., Partner, DayPitney LLP.

Chowdhary believes that other entrepreneurs and businesses should be offering their software as SaaS, and in his presentation he will offer guidelines for other forward-thinking businesses traveling down that path. SaaS-based systems are more affordable as retailers do not have to invest in buying, installing, maintaining and servicing software and servers to run the software. Rather, the entrepreneur pays a monthly fee and the vendor maintains the system, and delivers upgrades and modifications as needed. SaaS solutions also help keep IT department costs at a minimum, as all the heavy lifting is done by the vendors.

“A lot of small and midsized retailers have modest IT budgets and don’t want to break the bank to launch and maintain an ecommerce platform,” Chowdhary recently explained to Internet Retailer. Explaining why he believes that other tech based companies should sell their offerings as SaaS, he says that smart SMBs will seek out SaaS solutions because: “They want a scalable platform with tools to compete with larger retailers to provide unique customer experiences that can be managed through intuitive administrative panels rather than by the IT department.”

MIT Enterprise Forum Connecticut is part of a global network of Enterprise Forum chapters. Participation and involvement is open to any member of the entrepreneurial community and attracts executives, business leaders, venture capitalists, industry experts, and service organizations, in addition to its core of technology entrepreneurs. One of the most valuable components of the MIT Enterprise Forum is the networking connections that are developed amongst technology entrepreneurs and the communities in which they reside. Visit their website here.